Malware Prevention: Antispyware
If you have already read our section about choosing the right antivirus program, then you may have noticed that many of the programs for sale combine both antivirus and antispyware (e.g. McAfee). If that is the case, it is still adviseable that you read and consider the applications in this section. Spyware comes in so many forms that it may take several programs to ensure that you detect all occurrences of it on your system. Further, the best antispyware programs are the free ones in the eyes of most computer users. In this section, we will examine some popular antispyware solutions:
Ad-Aware SE Personal- This free application is one of the most popular antispyware applications. Widely regarded as one of the best, Ad-Aware features frequent updates and is very effective at locating and removing spyware. There is also a paid version, which is by far the most popular antispyware program available--with nearly 250,000,000 downloads!
Spybot Search and Destroy- While Spybot has nearly 100,000,000 downloads and is the most popular free antispware application, some question its effectiveness. We have noticed that Ad-Aware detects many instances of spyware that Spybot misses, however, Spybot is still an effective weapon against spyware, and it finds instances of spyware that other programs don't, as well.
Spyware Doctor - Spyware Doctor is a $30 antispyware program that provides real-time protection against spyware, adware, keyloggers, spyware cookies, Trojan horses, browser hijackers, and phishing attacks. Most of the free antispyware applications offer no active shield, but merely remove spyware that gets on your system. Spyware Doctor prevents the problem by blocking spyware at the source.
Trend Micro HijackThis- Another free antispyware application with five million downloads, HijackThis receives nearly perfect marks from CNET's editor and user evaluations. The program is constantly updated, and it is excellent at detecting spyware. That said, false positives are fairly common, and the program is not very user friendly. Avoid this program if you are not very knowledgeable about computers or the particular files you would be deleting.
Spyware Blaster - While Spyware Blaster is free, it also offers active protection against spyware--preventing the installation of spyware, adware, dialers, browser hijackers, and other potentially malicius software. This is a feature pretty much unique to free antispyware programs, making Spyware Blaster another great antispyware option.
If you haven't already, don't forget to check out our antivirus page to ensure that your computer is completely protected.
Resources
Baratz, Adam & McLaughlin, Charles. "Malware: what it is and how to prevent it." Ars Technia. November 11, 2004. <http://arstechnica.com/articles/paedia/malware.ars/>
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